ANN ARBOR – Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership, will be in Michigan on January 31st for the launch of Startup Michigan at the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurs.

ACE’12ACE is a yearly event that celebrates entrepreneurism in the state with education and networking with peers, funding sources and support resources. Attendance at ACE is expected to exceed 1,000 participants from the entrepreneurial community.

Startup Michigan is the national effort dedicated to helping startups grow and jumpstart job creation throughout the country. To date, the initiative has launched eight regional affiliates and is offering startups $1.2 billion in resources. Michigan will join ten more regions in launching on the 31st.

“I’m excited to be in Ann Arbor for the big launch of Startup Michigan,” said Case. “It’s fantastic to see Michigan’s entrepreneurial leadership focus on helping startups across the state grow.”

The Startup Michigan launch is being sponsored by Butzel Long and Comcast Business Class

Startup Michigan is bringing together Michigan entrepreneurs and organizations to provide access to resources and networks to accelerate the growth of the state’s business startups. Startup Michigan has already started assembling commitments from a wide range of Michigan-based companies and organizations to provide assistance to the state’s startups.

“ACE’12 is the perfect setting to announce Michigan’s participation in an important national initiative,” said Diane Durance, executive director of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, which is the coordinating organization for Startup Michigan. “We are delighted to have Scott, an icon for entrepreneurism in the U.S., help us launch Startup Michigan at this event, where we gather each year to celebrate the success of our innovators and entrepreneurs.

“This launch is a call to action for leaders across the state to direct entrepreneurs to the resources of the Startup America Partnership,” she said. “The Startup Michigan initiative offers a clear path for innovative companies of all stages and industries in Michigan to connect with potential customers, partners and resources across the nation.”

. The initiative arose from a collaboration of many of Michigan’s entrepreneurial support organizations, including Automation Alley, Bizdom U, Central Michigan University College of Business Administration, MIT Enterprise Forum of the Great Lakes, Grand Valley State University, InvestDetroit, Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, Michigan Venture Capital Association, Momentum, OUInc, and the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center.

For more information on Startup Michigan, Click on StartupMI.Org

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